Article Index

by Megan Fitzpatrick page 16 I’m not usually a wet grinder kind of woman, because a dry grinder does the same work faster, then I move to waterstones to polish and hone. I might be a convert, however, when it comes to tools that are difficult to grind on a dry grinder, including carving...

by Christopher Schwarz page 16 Because shellac is my favorite finish, I have tried nearly every brand of flakes on the market. By far, my favorite brand is the premium dewaxed flakes – Tiger Flakes – sold by Tools for Working Wood in Brooklyn, N.Y. Because there are no lac bugs in Brooklyn, this...

If you think about it, most woodworking is just building boxes. Chests, cabinets, drawers – all boxes. It’s one of the first things we build when we start woodworking, and a task in which we build our skills. One of my very first things I made when I started woodworking was a simple box,...

Inlay and embellishment add pizazz to a well-known form. by Frank Vucolo page 28 I designed this table using the materials, ideas and embellishments of the Federal period. It begins with an objective aesthetic: a small table with tapered legs. This form was a staple of the style, but it’s found in neoclassical representations throughout...

A well-tuned tool pays great dividends when the blade hits the board. by Matt Cianci page 36 We’ve all been there: You reach for your saw in the middle of a project, and before you start the cut, you drag your finger along the teeth and say to yourself, “Meh…they’re sharp enough.” But you...

Great shop storage isn’t always built using plywood. by Glen D. Huey page 40 As I look around my shop, or most woodworking shops, I see cabinets built with plywood and screws. But there are other options. I decided to change things up and make a shop cabinet using hardwoods, and to use the...

Learn techniques for ‘shallow relief’ and ‘applied’ carvings. by Mary May page 46 Have you ever been involved in something where you get completely absorbed in it? Where hours go by without realizing it? Those are the moments when you discover something you truly love. Within a month of taking classes from European Master...

A throwaway wooden ruler prevents fatal errors when dovetailing. by Christopher Schwarz page 51 The No. 1 mistake made by first-time dovetailers has nothing to do with sawing or chopping – the obvious choices. Instead, I’ve found that most fatal mistakes happen at the point where the shape of the first half of the...

This turbine-driven gun produces a good finish at a good price. by Robert W. Lang page16 I first became aware of High-Volume Low-Pressure (HVLP) systems about 20 years ago. At the time, it seemed like a great idea – reduce overspray and eliminate the need for a massive air compressor chugging away. Since then, I’ve...